Award-winning visitor attraction to be sold in North Yorkshire
Specialist leisure property adviser, Christie & Co, has been instructed to sell an award-winning visitor attraction: Eden Camp Modern History Museum in North Yorkshire.
Originally a prisoner of war (POW) camp, Eden Camp was built on the outskirts of Malton in early 1942 to accommodate Italian POWs.
In 1985 the site was purchased by Stan Johnson and following an initial £750,000 investment, the world’s only Modern History Museum was created within what was the original camp, opening in 1987.
Today, the museum tells the story of The People’s War, the social history of life in Britain from 1939 to 1945, with realistic tableaux, moving figures, authentic sounds and even smells recreated to “transport you back in time.”
Over the last few years the business has invested over £1.25m in renovation and restoration works to the fabric of the buildings as well as adding a new ‘Blitz Experience’, a remodelled entrance, new exhibition spaces and the Heritage Exhibition Hall which provides an undercover display arena for Eden Camp’s collection of unique and rare military vehicles and equipment.
The business enjoys close collaboration with veterans groups, providing immersive displays that cover both social and military history and its archive has grown into a resource of national historical and educational importance.
Attracting around 125,000 visitors each year, the museum is a popular venue for school groups, with around 25,000 children visiting in 2023 and for many years in succession, the museum has received both TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice and Certificates of Excellence awards. In 2024 the centre celebrated a record-breaking year, with unprecedented visitor numbers drawn to its programme of experiences and events.
With the migration of the collection’s archive to a digital platform offering a free resource, to creating and hosting activity workshops themed around the KS2 syllabus, the museum aims to boost accessibility to history through various mediums aimed at the younger generation.
After nearly 40 years in the same family ownership the business is being offered for sale for the very first time due to retirement.
Christie & Co are seeking substantial offers for the business to include the valuable freehold property.
Howard Johnson, son of the late Stan Johnson, said: “Since our father passed away in 2015, my sister and I have continued as custodians of this incredible business.
“We have consistently invested in improving the facilities and customer experience and have a fantastic team we work with here, but we too are at that time in our lives where it makes sense to pass the reigns to new owners. I’ve been contacted a number of times over the years asking if we would sell and so this tremendous opportunity now becomes a reality.”
Jon Patrick, Head of Leisure & Development at Christie & Co who is overseeing the sale process, added: “There are many people, particularly those from Yorkshire, who will have visited Eden Camp as a child and returned with their own children, parents and even grand-parents as there is something here for everyone.
“With over 105,000 items of memorabilia we can see Eden Camp appealing to a national and even international buyer audience, such is the interest in the subject matter. From a tourist perspective, it also benefits from the vast majority of its displays being undercover and so would provide a great hedge against inclement weather for visitor attraction operators with primarily outdoor facilities.
“We can also envisage Eden Camp being of interest to other museums, collections and collectors and whilst not forming part of the operating business itself, our clients own a number of rare and valuable military vehicles outside the company structure on offer, which could be made available to purchase or lease by way of separate negotiation.”
New Government pledge promises help for farmers – but there’s no u-turn on inheritance tax changes
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed has set out the Government’s long-term vision to make farming more profitable and put more money back in the pockets of British farmers.
However, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said that while there were positives within the announcements, there had been a failure to recognise the industry was in a cash flow crisis, with the lowest farmer and grower confidence ever recorded.
He said: “Many are worried about making it to the end of 2025, never mind what happens 25 years down the line.”
The NFU President listed the devasting inheritance tax changes, along with hikes to employers’ national insurance, “crippling cuts” to direct payments and delays to environmental schemes as existing pressure points that meant many businesses wouldn’t survive to benefit from the ‘new deal’.
Speaking to farmers and landowners at the Oxford Farming Conference, Minister Steve Reed says the Government wants to work with farmers to deliver a profitable farming sector and unlock rural growth. This will include a cast iron commitment to food security while introducing reforms to help farmers diversify their income streams to support them during poor harvests.
As part of the Plan for Change, the Secretary of State announced a series of reforms (with no reference to changes to inheritance tax), including:
- Backing British produce: For the first time ever, the Government will monitor food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from. This is a significant first step to deliver on a manifesto pledge and make it easier for British farmers to win a share of the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.
- Using planning reforms to support food production: Ensuring our reforms make it quicker for farmers to build the buildings, barns and other infrastructure they need on their farms to boost food production.
- Diversifying income streams: Helping farmers make additional money from selling surplus energy from solar panels and wind turbines by accelerating connections to the grid and support them during difficult harvests and supply shocks.
- A fair supply chain: Boosting profitability through fair competition across the supply chain. New rules for the pig sector will come this spring, ensuring contracts clearly set out expectations and changes can only be made if agreed by all parties. Similar regulations for eggs and fresh produce sectors will follow with the government ready to intervene with other sectors if needed.
- Protecting farmers in trade deals: The government will uphold and protect our high environmental and animal welfare standards in future trade deals.
54North Homes secures £20m to help build new homes
54North Homes has secured a £20m loan under the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme (AHGS) to support its delivery of new affordable homes across Yorkshire.
Managed by ESR Group’s specialist investment manager Venn Partners on behalf of the UK Government, half of the loan will help 54North Homes deliver about 100 new homes, with the majority for social rent.
The remaining £10m will facilitate investment in existing properties, advancing improvement works and decarbonisation.
Managing Director Mark Pearson said: “We’re pleased to be benefiting from the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme, which will enable us to provide more good quality affordable housing across Yorkshire.
“We’ve an ambitious growth programme – and the loan will provide us with a welcome boost to develop a wide range of homes that will meet customer needs and strengthen local communities.”
54North Homes invested more than £26.5m in the delivery of new homes over the last 18 months.
The AHGS, which aims to provide lower-cost, fixed-rate debt to registered providers to increase affordable homes supply, will play a key role in 54North Homes’ delivery of around 150 homes over the next three years.
Loans under the scheme, which reopened in March last year with an additional £3bn, are funded by a bond issuance programme backed by a guarantee from the UK Government.
Yorkshire wine merchants toast prestigious new appointment
Yorkshire wine merchants Firth & Co have appointed Richard Pickles as a senior sales representative.
Richard rejoins Andrew Firth, the founder and manager director of Firth & Co, for whom he worked when Andrew ran the Thirsk-based wine merchants Playford Ros.
This is a key development in the continued expansion of Firth & Co.
After Playford Ros, Richard joined national wine suppliers Bibendum, becoming Director of Sales in The North and Scotland, before moving to another national wine merchant, Enotria & Coe, selling premium wine in the north and London restaurants.
Richard said: “This is a very exciting move for me and I am delighted to be working with Andrew again, one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable wine merchants in the UK. His drive and passion have established Firth & Co’s reputation as a formidable player in the wine and spirits sector in the north – and beyond.
“After many years working for successful national wine companies across England and Scotland, it’s now the perfect time to return closer to my North Yorkshire home and to join up with some of the great names of the Yorkshire hospitality sector.
“I will be assisting Andrew, his deputy William Tilling and the fantastic Firth & Co team to introduce exciting independently sourced wines to the best restaurants and bars in the north. Firth & Co already supply some of the finest hospitality venues in the region and I look forward to adding to the illustrious list.”
Andrew Firth said: “This is a crucially important appointment for us as we continue to expand across the north of England. It’s 10 years now since we moved to our spacious premises at Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton, and we have grown steadily year on year. Richard’s appointment will take us to the next level.”
William Tilling added: “I’m delighted that Richard has joined our team. His experience and expertise, together with his enthusiasm, will make him a tremendous asset for us.
“We have established a strong reputation for being a niche supplier of excellent European wines at competitive prices. We pride ourselves on a swift and personal service and are proud of the fact that we supply some of the very best hotels and restaurants in Yorkshire and the North East.”
William added: “We also run a very successful bespoke private customer service, providing wines for clients across Yorkshire and the North East. Over the past decade, our flagship premises have enabled us to provide an ever better service, with a wider selection of quality wines, predominantly from Europe, but also from the New World, too.”
Richard Pickles has lived in Boroughbridge for 30 years and ran the popular Grantham Arms in the town between 1994 until 2006, before selling it and joining Playford Ros.
He was originally from Oxenhope in West Yorkshire, where his forefathers farmed the Haworth Moors, before the Brontës made them famous.
2025 Business Predictions: Alexis Krachai, President for Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Alexis Krachai, President for Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Goodbye 2024. Hello 2025. What will you bring for businesses across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire?
On a global scale, welcome back Mr. Trump. He’s discussing making it harder for companies outside the U.S. to sell products and services there. The UK has a special relationship with the U.S., but if you’re exporting to America, stay in touch with your local Chamber of Commerce and inform your MP about tariffs that could impact your business.
Closer to home, the UK economy is either turning a corner or under pressure, depending on who you ask. The increases in national insurance and other tax rises were not well-received towards the end of last year. The government needs to act quickly to rebuild business confidence. Expect reassuring words but pay attention to the Spending Review in June. The government will set its big spending priorities for the coming years, and it’s crucial they support local businesses by not cutting business support.
Lastly, if you run a business, how can you navigate what is likely to be a challenging and interesting year ahead? Get out and about. Growing your network isn’t just about finding new customers and clients; it’s about getting the inside track on the wider economy, understanding political changes that can impact your business, and learning how to harness new technologies. If 2024 was the year we woke up to artificial intelligence, 2025 is likely to be the year many more businesses start using this technology to fuel growth.
We live in interesting times.
New project wins and new senior appointments for Zerum
Leeds and Manchester-based multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy Zerum Group is starting the new year on a high after securing several new transpenine clients and announcing two senior appointments.
Following project wins in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, Zerum’s expansion continues with the appointment of Pheobe Threlfall as associate director in planning and the promotion of Luke Bishop to projects director in the project management team.
These additions to the team come after a successful 12 months for Zerum and a number of recent high-profile new contract wins including Blacklight’s recent acquisition of the Devon Street student accommodation scheme, in Liverpool; a 700-unit build-to-rent scheme in Leeds; Scarborough Development Group and Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust’s new Health Technology Innovation Hub in Leeds; and several development opportunities in Manchester City Centre in conjunction with Relentless Developments.
Nikki Sills, planning partner, said: “We’re delighted to add Phoebe to the team, which strengthens our planning offering even further following several recent hires. Phoebe has an excellent background in delivering and assisting on major mixed-use schemes, which will be of great value to our wide and varied client base in the North of England and beyond.”
Andrew Duffy, partner, added: “Zerum enjoyed a hugely successful 2024 and we are very pleased to be starting the year with a whole host of high-profile projects and to be further strengthening our team.
“I’m delighted to promote Luke to the position of projects director in recognition for his hard work and dedication, specifically in leading the delivery of the prestigious St. Michael’s development in Manchester City Centre.
“Luke’s promotion reflects our drive to reward leadership and professionalism that is crucial to ensure we maintain the highest standard across the Zerum businesses.”
Unity Enterprise to make key appointment in anniversary year
Unity Enterprise (UE) is recruiting an Assistant Manager to play a leading role in its continued growth as it celebrates 25 years in business.
Set up in 2000 as a not for profit subsidiary of Leeds-based BME housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise, UE provides 142 affordable business units for over 80 diverse businesses
Collectively, they deliver employment for more than 1200 people across UE’s three business centres in Chapeltown.
The Assistant Manager will help to manage the centres including the newly opened podcast studio at Leeds Media Centre which recently completed a £1.8 million redevelopment in partnership with Leeds City Council and the European Regional Development Fund, creating 12 new business units and a bespoke enterprise hub.
Adrian Green, UE Manager, said: “The new position of Assistant Manager is a great opportunity to join a highly successfully and motivated team.“The role requires a blend of business skills with some technical expertise in audio and video production.“The successful candidate will support me in the day to day running of our thriving business centres, engage with potential clients, organise events and contribute to the growth of our business initiatives.“It is a particularly special year for us as we celebrate our 25th anniversary in modernised surroundings. There has never been a better time to come onboard.”
Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise Chief Executive, said: “UE’s mission is to find, encourage, support and develop local people with entrepreneurial talent and aspiration to improve life chances and boost prosperity.“Alongside their other responsibilities, the Assistant Manager will have a pivotal part to play in helping people to succeed as entrepreneurs, grow their businesses and create new employment opportunities.”
Shepley residential development gets green light
Planning permission has been granted to Vivly Living for a residential development at Shepley, near Huddersfield.
Kirklees Council has given the go-ahead for 52 new homes at Knowle Grange, which will form Phase 2 at Vivly’s development in the village. Phase 1, comprising 31 homes, has completely sold out.
Oliver Bottomley, Associate Director – Land and Development at Vivly Living, said: “We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve been granted planning permission for Shepley Phase 2. This means we can bring forward 52 fantastic new and much-needed homes to the community.
“These homes will be energy-efficient and offer additional garden space, providing comfortable and sustainable living for our customers.
“I’d like to say a personal thank you to Coun John Taylor, the Shepley ward member and deputy leader of the Conservatives on Kirklees Council, who has helped to ensure that we can build much-needed affordable housing for Shepley and allowed us to introduce the First Home Scheme, helping first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder.”
Coun Taylor explained: “I’m glad that Kirklees Council has agreed to Vivly Living’s revised proposals. The new plan is much better, with more space and houses which have larger gardens than before which is much better for families. As Vivly’s first phase showed, there is a demand for well-designed houses like this here in the village.
“This plan includes some two-bed houses under the First Homes scheme which will be ideal for young people wanting to buy their first home. Being able to buy a home in the village you grew up in is an aspiration for many young people locally.
“So hopefully we’ll see spades in the ground soon and people moving in, as the first residents of this second phase before the year is out.”
Work on Shepley Phase 2 is due to begin this month (January). It should be completed within 12 months.
‘Double whammy’ for Yorkshire and Humber economy as insolvency-related activity rises and new start-up numbers fall
Yorkshire and the Humber’s economy was hit by a double blow last month, according to the latest research from the UK’s insolvency and restructuring trade body, R3. The data shows a marked decrease in new business start-ups in the region, along with a small rise in insolvency-related activity, in a pattern that was repeated across the UK.
In Yorkshire and the Humber, insolvency-related activities, which include liquidator and administrator appointments and creditors’ meetings, were up by 5%, from 220 in November to 231 in December. Business start-ups fell by 16% in the region, following a 16% decline in November, and taking the number of new start-ups in the region to 3,235.
Insolvency-related activity increased in December across every UK region apart from Scotland, which saw a 32% drop, and South East England where it fell by 4%. The North East and Greater London saw the largest hikes in insolvency-related activity, up by 60% and 25% respectively.
While insolvency-related activity was largely on the rise in December, R3’s analysis, which is based on data from business intelligence and credit checking provider Creditsafe, also revealed a decrease in the number of start-ups across the country.
Mirroring the falls in entrepreneurial activity in Yorkshire and the Humber, every UK region was affected by double-digit percentage declines in the number of new start-ups in the final month of 2024, from a 10% fall in the West Midlands, to 17% in the East Midlands.
Dave Broadbent, chair of R3 in Yorkshire and partner at Begbies Traynor in York and Teesside, said: “December’s double whammy of increased insolvency-related activity and the falling numbers of new business start-ups is extremely concerning and comes as we are also seeing levels of UK business confidence plummet to their lowest since the 2022 mini-budget.
“Rising costs and taxes are putting firms under immense pressure and unfortunately that increased burden looks to be already having a negative effect on hard-pressed businesses as well as deterring new start-ups.
“While there may be a period of readjustment to new measures such as the hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions announced in the Government’s Autumn budget, we always advise any businesses that have financial issues that are becoming a problem to seek professional help earlier rather than later to ensure the best outcome possible.”
Grantham day nursery sold to care home operator
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has sold Ancaster Village Nursery & Forest School in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
Ancaster Village Nursery & Forest School is a well-established day nursery located in Ancaster, Grantham, Lincolnshire. Rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, the nursery provides care for up to 52 children at a time and operates from a purpose-built rural property.
The sale also included the successful 46 place ‘Out of School’ club which the company runs from the local village primary school.
The nursery has been owned and managed by Linda Lukies since 2007. After many successful years in the childcare sector, Linda made the decision to retire, prompting the sale of the business.
Following a confidential sales process with Jassi Sunner at Christie & Co, it has been sold to new market entrant, Kiddi Corporation Ltd, which is owned by Rupinder Sandhu, a former care home operator expanding into the childcare sector.
Linda Lukies, former owner of Ancaster Village Nursery, said: “I would like to wish Rupinder and Ancaster Village Nursery every success for the future. It has been an absolute pleasure running this wonderful setting with such a passionate staff team and I know that, with Rupinder’s vision and experience, I have left everything in the safest hands.”
Rupinder Sandhu, the new owner of Ancaster Village Nursery, said: “I am extremely committed to delivering high-quality care in the community, drawing on my background in residential care.
“Working with children has always been a passion of mine and, as a parent of young children, I understand first-hand the challenges faced by parents. This drives my dedication to ensuring that childcare settings are nurturing, supportive, and positively promote children’s development.”
Jassi Sunner, Associate Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, said: “With its excellent location, Ancaster Village Nursery & Forest School has built a fantastic reputation over the years under Linda’s leadership.
“The rural setting is logistically well placed for parents and has become a key choice for local families seeking high-quality childcare in a ‘home from home’ environment. After a competitive marketing process, we secured an offer from Rupinder, an experienced care home operator, looking for a new challenge in childcare.
“This transition is a perfect fit, and I have no doubt that Rupinder will build on the strong foundations Linda has established.”
Ancaster Village Nursery & Forest School was sold for an undisclosed price.
